Why blend in when you can stand out

Dare to Bare?

This post is a bit different to what you’d normally get from me. Even as I write this I’m not sure how to word it or format this post. Basically I am someone that wears makeup on a daily basis. I wear it to work, I wear it on my days off, I’ve even been known to wear it when I don’t leave the house. Mainly in the hopes plans will happen and then not, so I don’t move, don’t you hate that?!

Then during the week I was chatting to one of the girls who would only wear make up going out. She sat beside me all gorgeous with no makeup, and here I was with a full face. I joked about how I couldn’t go to work bare faced. No.1 Mainly because when you go from wearing makeup everyday to nothing at all, I wasn’t ready for the barrage of ‘Oh are you sick?’. I just felt it was inevitable that people would ask that. Then No.2, because I’m so deathly pale, lines under my eyes, uneven skin tone, small break outs, I just didn’t feel confident bare skin. Overall I just thought been seen in make up every day to come in au natural would ‘shock’ people. I felt people would think I had been catfishing them. Not dramatic at all am I?

Anywho, after this conversation the following day I was meeting a friend and I decided to go without makeup. I know, the shock! Now, I did do my brows, because well, girls you know this needs no explaining. Also wore mascara,lippie, with highlighter and bronzer…look, I was weaning myself off ok?! I decided against makeup because well firstly that conversation really got me thinking, but also because the heat was sweltering that day. I hate a lot of makeup in the summer, there’s nothing nicer than a light bit of make up and fresh skin.

Honestly, that day I don’t mind saying, I felt great. I felt really confident. Now I was having a good skin day but still. I actually felt better than I would normally when I’d have a full face, shadows, liner the works. Then when I met my friend you know what happened? Nothing. She didn’t notice. Well, maybe she did but said nothing. But me not wearing makeup wasn’t made a deal of.

Yes, I totally got lucky with lighting but trust me I’m not wearing makeup The real deal, blemishes n all
So the following few days I was working so really tested myself and decided to just do brows and mascara. As I awaited the cries of ‘Aoife you look really sick are you feeling ok?’ you know what I got?…nothing. I’m sure it was noticeable but nobody cared. Ok, I sound like I think the world should stop turning because I’m bare faced but you know what I mean. It was a big deal for me, but I ended up not caring. It was still me, people weren’t going to react different to me because I didn’t have eyeliner on. Even as I sat around gorgeous girls wearing makeup I didn’t feel less confident like I thought I would. It was still me at the end of the day.

Then after all this, I came across articles online about Alicia Keys, whose decided against makeup. Read the article here. She basically touches on the pressures on woman by society to look pretty/sexy, and how her new music is her most raw and real so her bare faced reflects that. And she feels empowered by it.

My initial reaction when I saw the images of her new album with her makeup free was ‘Well I wouldn’t mind going makeup free if I had skin like that‘. Shes amazing both with and without makeup. All the power to Mrs Keys though I’m sure in celeb land going fresh faced is not easy.

Yes, other people’s opinion mattered but mainly I felt I couldn’t do without makeup for ME. I’m just not 100% happy with my complexion. Whatever makes you feel confident and comfortable is the main thing and that’s what should matter most. If that’s a full glam face of makeup, girl werk it own it, if that’s you in your most natural gorgeous self, fab.

To end, my days of no make up I still felt me, but less pretty. I’ll be honest. Will I go bare faced again? Sure. It gave me more time in bed before work,who doesn’t want that. For me though, and I’m sure a lot of you too, putting on makeup for me is fun. Even if it’s the bare minimum, I just enjoy doing it. So yeah, I will go bare faced now and again but I enjoy doing my makeup and how it makes me feel. What I learned? That I can dare to bare and be ok with it, that it doesn’t matter if I have makeup on or not, what matters is that I’m happy within myself…cringe I know but it’s true.

I don’t even know if this post was of any interest to you but I’d love to know your thoughts:)